Former Bears offer advice to rookies

The past, present and future of the Bears collided at Halas Hall Wednesday when six former players shared their experiences and offered advice to the team’s rookies.The panel discussion occurred on the final day of the Bears Rookie Transition Program, a seven-week session that helps prepare rookies for life in the NFL on and off the field.

The former Bears who participated in the panel discussion were Anthony Adams, Jerry Azumah, Patrick Mannelly, Tom Thayer, Tom Waddle and James “Big Cat” Williams.

“It was a great opportunity for us to do it,” said Mannelly, a long-snapper who played a franchise-record 16 seasons with the Bears from 1998-2013. “It was interesting to see, after being in those…